In the winter of 2020, a young internal medicine resident named Dr. Charles Puza filmed a 30-second video in the stairwell of his New York City hospital. He held up three fingers. “Three things I would never do as a doctor,” he said, before listing them in rapid-fire succession: use a loofah, take Tylenol for a hangover, drink protein shakes. The video went viral. It was viewed not by thousands, but by millions. To the medical establishment, it was a curiosity. To Dr. Puza, it was the first spark of a revolution.
We are used to doctors having authority. It is conferred by degrees, by white coats, by the hushed solemnity of an exam room. But a new generation of physicians in New York City—the world’s epicenter of both media and medicine—is rewriting the rules of influence. They are building vast media empires from their smartphones, becoming influencers, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs. They are not just healing patients; they are shaping culture. How did this happen? The rise of the doctor-empire builder is not a random phenomenon. It is a story that follows the three rules of social epidemics: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.
1. The Law of the Few: The Connector, The Maven, The Salesman
First, you have The Connector: Dr. Austin Chiang. Dr. Chiang is a gastroenterologist, but his real specialty is networks. He was one of the first to grasp the potential of social media as a professional tool, founding the Association for Healthcare Social Media. He doesn’t just create content; he creates a community of medical creators. He is the node that connects everyone else. When a new doctor-influencer appears in New York, you can be sure Chiang knows them, has collaborated with them, or has offered them advice. Connectors like Chiang provide the social fabric through which the new idea can spread.
Then there is The Maven: Dr. Poonam Desai. Mavens are information specialists. Dr. Desai, an emergency and lifestyle medicine physician, doesn’t just entertain; she provides a data-packed service. She is the source to whom you turn to decode a new study, to understand the nuances of intermittent fasting, or to get evidence-based skincare advice. We trust her because she seems to have no other motive than to be helpful and accurate. Mavens are the repositories of knowledge that give the movement its credibility.
And finally, The Salesman: Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, known universally as “Doctor Mike.” Salesmen have the charismatic ability to persuade us when we are unconvinced. Dr. Mike, with his telegenic presence and masterful storytelling, doesn’t just give us facts; he makes us feel the promise of a healthier, better life. He can take a complex topic—like vaccine science or mental health—and package it with the production values of a Netflix documentary and the relatability of a friend. He sells the idea of the modern doctor. He makes the revolution palatable and appealing to a global audience.
These three—the Connector, the Maven, and the Salesman—are the agents of change. They each play a critical, differentiated role in making the concept of a “doctor-influencer” stick.
2. The Stickiness Factor: The Scalpel and the Soundbite
For an idea to become an epidemic, it has to be “sticky.” It must be memorable. The traditional medical pamphlet—dense, dry, jargon-laden—is profoundly unsticky. The new gen of doctors has solved the stickiness problem by mastering the grammar of new media.
They understand that a public health message competes for attention with cat videos and celebrity gossip. To win, the message must be packaged differently. Dr. Charles Puza’s “three things” format is a classic example of a “sticky” message: it is simple, unexpected, concrete, and actionable. It offers a quick, definitive takeaway. Dr. Julie Russak, a dermatologist, posts mesmerizing videos of extractions and laser treatments—the “pimple-popping” genre—but always layers in an educational lesson about skin health. The gross-out fascination is the hook; the evidence-based advice is the payload.
This is the crucial shift. These doctors are not dumbing down medicine. They are making it transmissible. They have taken the scalpel of medical expertise and paired it with the soundbite of viral media. The message is encoded in a format that is impossible to ignore and easy to share. It sticks.
3. The Power of Context: The Pandemic and the Platform
Epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times. The rise of the doctor-empire builder did not occur in a vacuum. It required a very specific, and very potent, context.
The first element was The Platform. TikTok and Instagram Reels are not just new apps; they are new environments. They are algorithms that reward personality, brevity, and visual storytelling—all things a charismatic doctor in a white coat can provide in spades. The platform itself became a peer-to-peer medical water cooler, breaking down the traditional one-way communication from institution to patient.
The second, and more profound, element was The Pandemic. COVID-19 was a catastrophic crisis of both health and information. People were terrified, confused, and desperate for a trustworthy guide. The traditional authorities—government agencies, legacy media—were often slow, contradictory, or politicized. Into this void stepped the doctor-influencer. They could film a video from their call room explaining the latest CDC guidance, debunk a conspiracy theory, or simply offer a moment of human reassurance. The context of a global health crisis made their voices not just welcome, but essential. It was their tipping point.
The Aftermath: Empires and Ethical Frontiers
What begins as a viral video ends as a business. For these doctors, influence is a gateway to entrepreneurship. Dr. Russak leverages her Instagram fame to fill her high-end dermatology practice and launch her own product line. Dr. Mike has parlayed his following into television deals and a production company. They are no longer just practitioners; they are CEOs of their own personal brands.
This, of course, is the new frontier. What are the ethical lines when a medical professional’s advice is delivered between an ad for Athletic Greens and a swipe-up link to their merchandise? The old model of medical authority was rigid, but its boundaries were clear. The new model is dynamic, engaging, and powerful, but its boundaries are being drawn in real-time.
The healer-hustlers of New York City have reached their tipping point. They understood the Law of the Few, mastering the roles required to spread their message. They cracked the code of the Stickiness Factor, making medical wisdom as compelling as entertainment. And they were propelled by the Power of Context, a perfect storm of technological and societal shift. They saw that the world wasn’t just waiting for a doctor. It was waiting for a guide, a storyteller, an entrepreneur. And from the stairwells of their inner-city hospitals, they decided to answer the call.